Putting the Vacation Mindset to Work to Benefit Your Business

Whether you love your job or hate it, there is one thing that most people agree on when it comes to work, and that is vacation. Whether you’re staying home or traveling, vacation is the best part of work. Work may be the last thing on your mind while on vacation, but it is usually front and center during the nine to five. So why not let your vacation mindset give your business a little boost?

There are many things that we do in advance of and during a vacation that can actually help your business, too. Whether it’s the way you decide where to go, or what you decide to bring, there are tips that can improve your business practices. So put the vacation mindset to work to improve business and make you successful in all that you do.

Be Prepared: Think about when you pack for vacation. No matter the forecast, you’re probably going to pack a raincoat. That way you are prepared for whatever the weather may be. You hope for the best, but would rather not be stuck in the rain if the poor weather makes an appearance.

This logic should also be applied to running your business. Preparation is necessary if you want to make it through rough times in business. Always have a plan and be prepared for whatever you tackle, whether it is an upgrade to your network or something as big as the possibility of losing a major client.

When prepared for a project, productivity will be at its best. It’s easy enough to get off track and procrastinate, so preparation will give you the best foundation to succeed. When prepared for a worst case scenario, you’ll know how to deal with a problem that may otherwise cripple the competition when put into the same situation. Preparation is the key to a peaceful vacation, and a successful business, too.

Consider Reviews: With the prevalence of reviews available for just about anything, you’d be a fool to travel anywhere without first reading relevant information about your accommodations, restaurants, or travel destinations. These reviews are from just average people who have experienced the places you’re interested in visiting, but you take them into consideration before making a decision.

So knowing just how valid other people’s opinions are during the decision making process, take it back to the office and apply the same logic to how people perceive your business. If you don’t already share testimonials and reviews, make this information available to potential clients. This is a valuable resource for your customers, and your existing customers can be some of your best advocates.

If your reviews and customer feedback aren’t content you want to share, that means people have brought up issues that need to be addressed. So that means you must address such issues. Doing so shows you are not only taking their feedback, but listening and moving towards a solution. Let reviews work for you.

Enjoy a Happy Hour: While you’re on vacation, you always make time to enjoy a fruity beverage on the seashore or a pitcher of beer at a sports game. However you enjoy your happy hour, the keyword is happy, and it doesn’t have to be limited to just an hour. So why limit it to vacation or after work? This isn’t to say enjoy a bottomless margarita at work, but it is to say take a little time during the day to clear your mind from the stresses of the workday, and encourage, within reason, the same to your employees.

Whether it is a ten minute lap around the parking lot for employees to detach from the stresses of the workday and get to know each other outside of the office, or new couches in the break room for people to enjoy their morning coffee, a mental break is key to keeping employee morale high, and minimizing stress levels.

Not only does this apply to employee morale, but happy hour is actually a good time to talk business, too. Many a business decision has been made during happy hour, as libations can help the ideas flow as much as the beers. As long as things don’t get too wild, you may uncover some ideas that could benefit your business.

Demand SatisfactionHospitality typically strives on guest satisfaction, and with good cause. When you’re traveling, you want your plans to go smoothly, and should an issue arise you want it taken care of in a prompt and efficient manner. You don’t want to sleep on a lumpy bed or eat an undercooked meal. During vacation, you don’t put up with that, you get it fixed.

Your clients want this too. If they have an issue with your product or service, they want to be satisfied. Treat them the way you would want to be treated while traveling. Provide a product that will let your clients best utilize it, without the need for complaint.

From the other side of the coin, also demand satisfaction from yourself, your employees, and your business as a whole. If you want to succeed, then do it. Don’t accept anything less than perfection, even if it takes several tries. You have to be satisfied with your product, as do your employees and customers. Success and satisfaction go hand in hand.

Vacation Can Work For YouVacation has a lot of lessons that can be applied to business, but in order to see such lessons, you must also take a vacation. Vacation is an important for your mental health, and will help you keep your mind in the game. Always make sure to take time for vacation, whether traveling a distance or just not checking your work email for a week.

So the next time you have your toes in the sand, relax, and enjoy but when you get back to the office, remember your vacation. You may just find that your time in the office might not be vacation, but it doesn’t have to be all work.